Steering-wheel for automobiles.



A. G. NEVILLE. STEERING WHEEL FOR AUTOMOBILES,

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21, 1914.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

A. G. NEVILLE. STEERING WHEEL FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21. 1914.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

BEETS-SHEET Z.

ASA. G. NEVILLE, 01E WELLSIBURGr, WEST VIRGINIA $TEERING-WHEEL FOEAUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

atented Fen. it. was.

Application filed July 21, 1914. Serial No. 852,322.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Ass G. NEVILLE, citizen of the United States,residing at Wellsburg, in the county of Brooke and State of VestVirginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSteering-VVheels for Automobiles, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to automobiles, flying machines, motor-boats andlike vehicles, and particularly to the steering posts and the steeringwheels thereof.

In the ordinary arrangement of steering wheels the wheel is fixed uponthe steering post or shaft to turn therewith and is held at all timesconcentric thereto. This position of the wheel impedes very greatly themovement of the driver into and out of the drivers seat.

It is the main object of my invention to obviate this inconvenience byso mounting the wheel on the post that while the wheel has at all timesrotative engagement with the post, it has also a sliding engagementtherewith so that the wheel may be shifted away from the drivers seat,thus increasing the space between the seat and the wheel and thuspermitting the driver to have easier access to the seat.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the connectionbetween the wheel and post that the usual spark and throttle controllinglevers together with the rack therefor'may be used.

A further object of the invention is to provide latching means wherebythe wheel may be firmly engaged with the post and to provide a latchingmeans which is disposed entirely within the lines of one of thecrossarms of the spider supporting'the wheel.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means forpreventing the rattling of the parts and in this connection. to providemeans whereby the parallel arms of the spider between which the slidinghead operates, may be drawn together or spread apart to thus provide foran adjustment of these arms and provide for the taking up of any wearbetween the arms and the head, thus preventing rattling.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accornpanying drawings, whereinFigure 1 is a side elevation of an automobile with my improved steeringwheel attached to the post thereof. Fig. 2 is a face view of thesteering wheel. Fig. 3 is a like view to Fig. 2 but showing the steering wheel in a position eccentric t0 the steel'- ing post. Fig. 4 is asection on the line 4- 1: of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an under side plan viewof the spider and the steering wheel. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailsection on line of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a detail section on line '7-7 ofFig. 2.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of theiaocompany itngdrawings by the same reference characers.

Referring to these drawings, A designates an automobile of any suitablecharacter and having the usual steering post 2. This steering post isprovided at its upper end with a head 3 having integrally formedtherewith the parallel longitudinally eX-= tending ribs 4 which arelongitudinally grooved as at 5 for engagement with guides as will belater stated. The grooves 5 are preferably somewhat ll-shaped in crosssection, as illustrated clearly in Fig. 7. EX- tending forward fromthe'head 3 adjacent its upper face is an integral web 6 which ispreferably cut-away at its middle, the forward end of this web beingprovided on each side with the thickened portions or ribs 7, each ofwhich is longitudinally grooved, the grooves being in alinement with thegrooves 5.

The steering wheel comprises a rim 9 of any ordinary suitableconstruction and the spider which is attached to the rim includes theparallel transversely extending guides 10 and 10, the guides beingsubstantially angular in cross section, as'illustrated most clearly inFig. 7 and extending diametrically across the entire steering wheel.Formed integral with these guides 10 and 10 are the arms 11, these armsbeing preferably triangular in cross section and extending at rightangles to the guides and being attached at their extremities to the rimof the wheel. Jlhe extremities of the guides 10 and 10 and the arms 1-1are curved to form seats 12 upon which the wheel rim 9 rests and towhich the wheel rim is attached.

The arms 11 and the guides 10 and 10 together form a spider and arepreferably formed integral with each other, although I do not wish tolimit myself to this. At one end the guides are connected by atransverse web 13 angular in cross section and which crosses and formsone end of the space between the guides.

The head 3 is disposed between the guides '10 and 10 and the beveledinner edges of the guides extend into and engage with the grooves in theedges of the head and the web 6, as illustrated most clearly in Figs. 6and 7. The guides 10 and 10 are downwardly and centrally curved as arethe arms 11, and, as a consequence of these guides being slightly curvedor concaved, the web'6 is slightly curved to correspond.

1t will be seen that the head 3with its extension 6 has slidingengagement between the guides for movement from a position ofconcentricity with the wheel rim to a position out of concentricitytherewith. For the purpose of adjusting the guides nearer to or fartherfrom each other, this adjustment being allowed by the resiliency of theguides and the fact that they are connected at only one end, I providethe transversely extending bolt 14 which is disposed preferably adjacentthe transversely extending arms 11. This bolt is screw threaded at itsends and the ends of the bolt 6 pass through ears 15 formed on the undersides of the guides. Nuts 16 are provided for engagement with the innerfaces of these ears and nuts 17 are provided for engagement with theouter faces of the ears. it will be obvious that by turning up thesenuts in one direction or the other, the guides may be spread fartherapart from each other or drawn nearer together. It will be obvious thatwhen the guides are drawn nearer to- I gether they will more snugly fitthe head 8 and that thus any wear between the head and the guides may betaken up and compensated for and the head prevented from rattling withinthe guides. Abowed spring 18 is preferably mounted upon the crossbar 13and facing toward the head For the purpose of automatically locking thewheel in a position concentric to the steering post, I provide a springactuated latching device 19, whose extremity passes through anopening-in one of the guides 10* and is adapted-to engage-in a recess 20in the head 3, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. The inner end ofthelatch may be beveled to more readily ride over the ends of the recessin operation. The outer end of the latching bolt .19 is engaged by thedownwardly extending arm 21 of a thumb latch. This thumb latch isangularly bent and extends across the upper faceof the arm 11 andthrough a bearing 22 formed upon this arm adjacent the extremity thereofand adjacent the rim 9. The extremity of the member 21 after it passesthrough the bearing 22 is bent inward toward the center of the wheel, itis then bent laterally and isthere provided with a button 23.

A spring 2% is attached at its inner end to the arm 11 and at its outerend is attached to the inwardly turned lower extremity of the arm 21.The spring thereby acts to project the bolt 19 into the recess 20. Bydepressing the thumb-latch, however, the bolt is withdrawn against theforce of the spring.

It will be noted that the arm 11 is not precisely triangular in form butis cut away, as at 25, for the actuation of the bolt 19 and of thespring 2i so that the bolt and spring practically operate within thiscut-away portion and are disposed entirely within the lines of the arm.This arrangement protects the spring and bolt from accidental shock andadds very much to the appear ance of the wheel. The bolt and spring areunseen from the face of the wheel. Furthermore, the housing of thespring within the cut away portion :55 prevents or tends to prevent thespring from becoming rusted from rain or dampness. I

It will be noted from Figs. 2 and 3 that when the head is in itsconcentric position the extension (3 of the head will bear against andcompress the spring 18 and act to take up any lost motion or slack inthe head and act as an antirattler. In order to latch the head it isnecessary to force the head up to its concentric position, thuscompressing the spring 18 before the bolt will engage in the recess 20.I have thus provided two antirattler means, viz., the spring 18 with thebolt which prevents longitudinal movement of the head, and the bolt latwhich adjusts the space between the guides and thus prevents anyrattling movement of the head between the guides.

Mounted upon the upper end of the steering post in any suitable mannerare the usual levers 26 and 27, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, onecontrolling the spark and the other controlling the throttle. Theselevers connect with independent shafts which pass down through thecenter of the tubular steering post. -The levers operate over an arcuaterack 27 as is usual in this class of devices.

It is particularly pointed out that the space between the guides isentirely open and that, therefore, a head may be used which will permitof the use of these levers.

The head is provided in one side with a recess or socket 28 in which isseated a spring 29 and a fiber block or shoe 30, the

springbearing upon the block and tending,

posed concentrically to the steering post and locked in this position bymeans of the latch. \Vhen the driver, however, desires to enter thevehicle or get out of the drivers seat, it is only necessary to releasethe latch by pressing upon the thumb-piece 23, whereupon the wheel maybe shifted upward and outward to the' position shown in Fig. 1, toincrease the distance between the wheel and the drivers seat, thuspermitting ready ingress to or egress from the seat. As soon as thedriver has left the scatter entered it and releases the wheel, gravitywill act to carry the wheel to its concentric position and the spring 18will cushion the wheel against the jar incident to this return toconcentricity. At the same moment the latch will spring into the recess20 and lock the wheel when the wheel is exactly concentric. It willfurther be noted in this connection that as the guides 10 are slightlybowed, thelower margin of the rim of the wheel, when the wheel isshifted upward, will move not only upward but inward, thus gaining stillmore space between the seat and the lower margin of the wheel.- In otherwords,.the wheel moves in the arc of a circle. By placing the thumbpiece23 adjacent the rim of the wheel, the necessity for the operatorremoving his hand from the rim of the wheel in order to shift the wheelis removed. It will be seen that there are no loose joints which arelikely to rattle and that the guides 10 are securely braced by thetransversely extending spider arms 11. It will also be noticed that theextension of'the head forms a stop limiting the downward movement of thewheel under the action of gravity so that the wheel will be stopped atthe point where the wheel is exactly concentric to the head and shaft.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is 1. Thecombination with a shaft having a head thereon, of a steering wheel.having spaced parallel guides between which the head is received and ismovable, and means for adjusting the guides toward or from each other totake up wear.

'2. The combination with a shaft having a head thereon, of a steeringwheel having spaced parallel guides extending diametrically across thewheel between which the head is received for sliding movement, the spacebetween said guides being unobstructed, an adjusting member extendingbetween and connecting said guides, and means engaging theadjusting'member whereby the guides may be adjusted toward or from eacheach other.

3. The combination with a shaft having a head thereon, of a steeringwheel having parallel guides with which the head has sliding engagement,whereby the wheel may be shifted from a concentric position to aneccentric position, an adjusting bolt extending transversely throughsaid guides, and nuts engaging the bolt whereby the guides may beadjusted toward or from each other.

il. The combination with a shaft having a head thereon, of a steeringwheel having spaced parallel downwardly bowedguides between which thehead is received and with which it has sliding engagement, means foradjusting said guides toward and from each other, and means for lockingthe head in a. concentrically adjusted position.

The combination with a shaft having a rectangular head thereon, of asteering Wheel having spaced parallel guides between which the head isreceived and with which the head has sliding engagement, said headhaving a web extending therefrom on one side and at its extremityfori'ne'd with-laterally disposed portions slidingly engaging saidguides, the head limiting the downward movement of the wheel withrelation to the head to a position where the wheel is concentric to thehead, and means for adjustably spacing said guides from each other.

6. The combination with a shaft having ahead thereon, of a steeringwheel having oppositely disposed parallel guides, said guides beingconnected toeach other at one end by a transverse web, and means foradjusting said guides toward or from each other.

7. The combination with a shaft having a head thereon, of a steeringwheel including a spider having spaced parallel guides between which thehead is received and with which it has sliding engagement, said wheelbeing thereby shiftable from a position concentric to the shaft to aposition eccentric to the shaft, manually operable means for locking thewheel in a position concentric to the shaft, and a. bolt connecting theguides below the path of movement of the head whereby the guides may beadjusted toward or from each other.

8. The combination with a shaft having a head, the lateral edges of thehead being formed with guide grooves, of a steering wheel having spacedparallel guides, the inner edges of the said guides being adapted toengage in said grooves, each of said guides having downwardly extendingreinforcing flanges, and a bolt passing transversely through saidlast-named flanges, and nuts on the bolt whereby the guides may beadjusted toward or from each other.

9. The combination with a shaft having a rectangular head thereon, andhaving a web extending therefrom on one side, of a steering wheel havingspaced parallel guides between which the head is received and with whichit has sliding engagement, the said web limiting the downward movementof the wheel with relation to the head to a poeach other.

10. The combination with a shaft, having a rectangular head thereon. thehead being formed on the side edges with longitudinally extending guidegrooves, the head having a, web exten .ling from one side, the end o lthe web being provided with laterally disposed guide grooves, a steeringwheel having a. supportingspider, said spider including oppositelydisposed parallel guide members, each of said guide members beingapproximately triangular in cross section and having guiding ribs uponits inner face engaging with the guide grooves of the head andextension, arms extending laterally from the Said guide members andengaging the wheel, one of said arms being cut-away on its inner face, abolt disposed in said cutaway portion and extending through an openingin the adjacent guide member and normally engaging a recess in the head,a spring for projecting the bolt, a finger-piece whereby the bolt may beretracted, and means for adjusting the guide members toward or from eachother.

11. The combination with a steering post, a head thereon, ahand-wheelcomprising a spider and rim, the spider embodying a diametrical guideslidingly engaging the head and connecting the hand-wheel with thesteering post to turn therewith, and laterally extending arms, a latchmounted on the guide, adjacent the inner end of one of the laterallyextending arms, thumb latch mounted on the outer end of the lastmentioned lateral arm adjacent the rim of the wheel, and a. connectionbetween the two latches located directly beneath the lateral arm andprotected thereby.

12. The combination with a steering post, a head thereon, a hand-wheelcomprising a spider and rim, the spider embodying a diametrical guideslidingly engaging the head and connecting the ln1in.l-\'vheel with thesteering post to turn therewith, and laterally extending arms, one ofsuch arms having a lower longitudinal side portion cut away, a latchmounted upon the guide adjacent the inner end of the cut away lateralarm, a thumb latch mounted on the outer end of the cut away lateral armadjacent the rim of the wheel, connecting means between the two latchesarranged in the longitudinal cut away portion of the lateral arm, and aspring paralleling the connecting means and exerting an inward pullthereon and arranged in the cut away part of the lateral arm and housedthereby.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two .witnesses.

ASA G. NEVILLE. [L.S.] lVitnesses:

FRANK MUTCIILER, PERRY J BIGHAM.

